This disclosure relates in general to copier/printers, and more particularly, to two printers with their outputs linked to a common finisher positioned between them.
Typically, in an effort to meet demand for high end printers, i.e., 100+ pages per minute (ppm), tandem machine designs place the two machines side by side with the result that the output from the first machine to a finisher or output tray for the machines must route around the second machine with complex paper path hardware. In addition, if one of the machines jams or needs supplies, productivity goes down to zero.
Multiple print engines have been used in the past to increase productivity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,640 issued May 4, 1993 to Kiyoshi Horie et al. shows an image recording apparatus that includes a plurality of recording modules for substantially simultaneously recording of recording sheets images according to image data supplied thereto, an image data supplier for supplying images to the recording modules, a sheet supplier for supplying the recording sheets to the recording modules, and sheet distributors for distributing the recording sheet thus supplied successively by the sheet supplier to the recording modules. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,946 B1 issued Mar. 13, 2001 to Masakazu Takeuchi et al. discloses a printing system that includes a main printer that is a black and white printer and a support printer, such as, an inkjet a color printer. The system includes a route setting device for printed sheets.
Obviously, there is still a need for a tandem high end printer system that is not too costly, not too cumbersome with respect to the paper path and does not have to take a 100% hit in productivity when one machine is down.
Accordingly, an improved tandem machine, high end printing system is disclosed that separates the two 65, 75 or 90 ppm machines and places a common finisher between the machines to simplify the paper path. Using these two machines in the simplex mode results in a digital 130, 150 or 180 ppm system. If one of the machines is for some reason out of order, productivity goes to only 50% instead of 100%.
While the disclosure will be described hereinafter in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that limiting the disclosure to that embodiment is not intended. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, (e.g., 2 copiers, 2 printers, 2 multi-function machines, 1 copier and 1 printer, etc.), modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.